Pineapple seeds

[janebb]

Does anyone know how to germinate pineapple seeds?  I found several in a pineapple I bought recently and decided to give them a go. I used cacti compost but nothing seems to be happening so far.  I have tried:
- in the airing cupboard then
- on top of a radiator then
- on  a windowsill
- covered with polythene, then uncovered
- some are on top of the compost to get daylight
- others are under a very fine layer of compost

Nothing seems to work (or could it just be that I haven't given each method long enough?)

I planted them over a month ago.

Any ideas gratefully received.

[janebb]

[Ceratonia]

Pineapples you buy in shops don't normally have seeds, so interesting that you found one that did. Don't know about pineapple specifically, but most similar bromeliads need scarification, high temperatures (30C or more) and light (ie not covered with soil) and germination is still slow and erratic, so good luck!

Great fun to grow pineapple at home, though, by planting up the top of one you've eaten. Takes a couple of years for it to fruit, though and the spikes are lethal.

[fluffygrue]

As previously said, bought pineapples don't tend to produce seed. I'd probably suspect that the seeds aren't viable..

I'd lop the top off the pineapple and grow it that way instead..

Melanie

[janebb]

I tried rooting the top of a pineapple but that didn't work either.  I think I'm destined never to grow pineapples!

Ceratonia, have you got any tips on rooting pineapples this way?

Also, do you know how long should pineapple seed take to germinate (if they're going to).  Should I throw them away yet?

[Ceratonia]

Not sure I can improve on the RHS description, but getting them to root is really easy - unlike seeds.

Cut the top off like you would normally and leave it to dry out a bit (for a few hours or overnight). Then cut off any remaining flesh to leave a nice flat, clean base. Next pull off a few of the bottom leaves. Sometimes you'll even see roots already starting to form between the leaves that you pull off. Then just push it on the top of a pot of reasonably well-draining compost (ie with a bit of grit mixed in) so that the base is in contact with the soil and the leaves aren't in the soil. Give it some water and leave somewhere indoors where it won't be too cold and where it's getting a reasonable amount of light, but not direct sunlight. From FB's description, it sounds like removing the fruit and lower leaves isn't really required.

Takes about 2 years or so to produce a fruit. Not an especially attractive plant and it's sharp, but quite fun - bit like when we used to grow the carrot tops in jam jar lids as a child.

[Mrs Ava]

I have a pineapple plantation in my conservatory, and they fruit for me quite willingly.  I will bore you with my method of propogation.  A don't cut the top, but firmly grip the leaves and twist the top.  On a ripe fruit the leaf rosette should twist out easily and cleanly.  Then leave somewhere dry and warm to dry for a few days - up to a week is okay.  Then I remove about 5 to 6 rings of leaves from the bottom, just carefully tear them away from the central core.  You will be able to see tiny immature roots.  I then plant them by filling a heavyish pot with regular potting compost and twisting the revealed core into the compost.  I water well, once, then leave them in my conservatory.  I only water them once the compost is dry until I am sure they are growing.  They can grow in a couple of ways....some will produce babies around the parent plant and the parent will not grow, and eventually die, or the parent will grow from the middle.  They do get HUGE and they are incredibly spiteful.  PLEASE WATCH YOUR EYES!  Honestly, I have had so many near misses and am frequently scratching my cheeks and forehead.  Once they are established and obviously growing I water and feed when the rest of my plants are watered and fed, more in the summer, less in the winter.  Once they fruit they will cease to grow, but baby plants will shoot up all around the base and grow very very quickly.  The fruits in my conservatory take about 6 months from first poking through to finally being ripe, and I have never, ever tasted something as pure and sweet and juicy as fresh from the stem, warm ripe pineapple!

Probably completely different to all the experts and the books, but for me, this method has never failed! ;D

[MikeB]

I have a pineapple plantation in my conservatory, and they fruit for me quite willingly. 

To say I'm jealous is an understatement,  what temperature do you keep your conservatory at during the winter??

MikeB

[frumple]

EJ - that sounds fabulous!

Do you have a pic?

frumple

PS
Hope you don't think I'm being cheeky!

[Viks]

How tall do they grow?? As i have four that have rooted!!

Thanks
Vikki

[Mrs Ava]

I do have pics on a disc...will hunt them out and post.

The conservatory is on the same heating system as the rest of the house (which hasn't been bl**dy working for 36 hours now - part ordered, should be fixed tomorrow!) so it is heated morning and evening.  It is also south facing and quite large so becomes an absolute hot box in the summer, even with blinds and fans!  They do get quite tall, my 4 year old mum and pups stands about 3 foot tall, but they are all up out of the kids way as some are lethal!  They tend to grow out more than up, and mumma is about 5 foot wide!!

[Jesse]

Gosh that is big EJ! We had pineapples growing in mum and dad's garden in SA and they weren't all that big, I remember getting spiked by one of them when trying to retrieve an easter egg from the crown of the plant, quite dangerous plants they are. They are lovely fresh, nothing like the ones in shops here, I guess they have travelled miles to get here so they deteriorate.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I know what you mean about heating systems; I had a call last night to say that the heating at church had packed up, and spent the first day of half term getting it sorted. I hate the thing; there's too much to go wrong with it, and it obliges regularly.